What is a foolproof hiring process?

There is no such thing, but we can eliminate some of the simple errors that can be made in hiring a new employee by looking at some Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

Clearly define the role and what skills and experience is required or expected in any job advertisement or listing. Spend time with current staff going over the requirements of the job. Often we see employers wasting their time reviewing and interviewing applicants that are not suitable because the description provided didn’t match what they wanted the people to do.

Make sure the applicant is relaxed and comfortable at the interview. The applicant will be stressed and anxious and therefore will not present a true picture of how they communicate and relate to others. As a suggestion, before the interview take them on a short tour of the organisation, particularly the areas that they may be involved with or may work in. They don’t need to meet anyone, just see what goes on.

Group interview. Without terrifying the applicant have other people involved in the interview to get a broad opinion. Involve people who you feel may be more perceptive about human behaviour, they don’t need to be involved in the applicants possible work area.

Dig deeper. Find out what the applicant is studying or what activities are they doing in their spare time. I have found a truly motivated person is someone who is doing external learning or studies, not necessarily related to their past or current employment. It demonstrates their willingness to improve and learn about new things.

Check referees. Not just about the applicants work experience, but also, how do they relate to other people? What are their hobbies and interests? What are they passionate about?

Don’ts

Don’t just rely on a resume for the full story, if there appears to be a reasonable match, take the time to at least have a phone call and maybe clear up some of the questions you may have. One of the biggest issues we find with people looking for work is that they don’t know how to sell themselves.

They are embarrassed to list all of their skills, thinking that others will think they are “showing off”. They also assume that the employer will be able to read between the lines about all the activities and experience they have encountered in their work life. A lot don’t realise that they need to tailor their resume for each job application and will trot out the standard format which doesn’t present them as suitable for the job. They wouldn’t have applied if they didn’t think they could do the job.

Don’t use the interview as a stress test. The interview is about getting and giving information. Even minor stresses will cause people to clam up and not express themselves clearly.

Don’t use the interview as a one way story about you or the business. Yes it is good to impart that information, but a truly serious candidate will have done the research already. You are there to learn about them.